EVEN as the Selangor government is being lauded for introducing freedom of information (FOI) legislation in the state, much is lacking in the Pakatan Rakyat-led government’s enactment. Indeed, the Selangor government may be shortchanging citizens in the state with its version of FOI. There are two reasons why access to information is a vital right […]
civil society
Consult civil society on councillor appointments
By Jeffrey PhangTHE Coalition of Good Governance (CGG) congratulates the Selangor government for maintaining the 25% civil society quota in the appointment of local councillors. However, we are concerned that there may be a repeat of last year’s incident where many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and professional councillors were left off the list. They were only confirmed much […]
The politics of dialogue
By K ShanmugaSome people just don’t understand dialogue… SO now the government wants a formalised interfaith dialogue mechanism? Going by the history of the state’s response to attempts by civil society to initiate interfaith dialogue, I am not holding my breath. In 2005, various members of civil society had a conference proposing a statutory Interfaith Commission (IFC) […]
Malay rights, Islam and royalty
By Ding Jo-Ann(Ahmad Ismail pic courtesy of Oriental Daily) HARDLY a year goes by in Malaysia without some kind of public dispute involving race and religion. The issue for 2010: “Allah“. 2009: Cow-head protesters and Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno‘s whipping sentence. 2008: Datuk Ahmad Ismail and his “pendatang” slurs against non-Malay Malaysians. 2007: Lina Joy‘s contentious conversion […]
Democratic rights still far off
By Ding Jo-Ann“POST-8 March, [the election results] left civil society exhilarated and giddy knowing that change is possible,” says Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah. “It has strengthened Malaysians as a whole to speak up, organise and demand reform.” Candlelight vigils have become part of the fabric of city life Indeed, since the last general election, Malaysians have been upping their […]
Five reject civil society reps at Asean Summit
HUA HIN, 23 Oct 2009: The governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore have rejected members of civil groups from their respective countries at the 15th Asean Summit here. Debby Stothard of the Alternative Asean Network said they were informed by the Thai Foreign Ministry at 11pm yesterday that the leaders would not […]
Civil society can change media
By Elizabeth LooiKUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov 2008: A strong civil society has the power to change the media without relying on government regulation. Professor Cherian George from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University said the public could influence how the media operated, for example, by holding them accountable. “Media organisations could be pressured by consumers into setting up their […]
Call for apology, resignation over Bersih gathering
By Ng Boon HooiUpdated 11 Nov 2008, 6:15pm KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Nov 2008: Civil society groups have called on the Home Minister to apologise and for the Selangor police chief to resign over the use of excessive force during the police crackdown during the Bersih gathering in Petaling Jaya on 9 Nov. In a statement released during a […]
